Kelly Johnson (guitarist)
Bernadette Jean "Kelly" Johnson was an English guitarist and singer, widely known in the UK in the early 1980s as the lead guitarist of the all-female rock band Girlschool.
Johnson in 1981
Johnson performing in 1983
Girlschool are a British rock band that formed in the new wave of British heavy metal scene in 1978. Frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead, they are the longest-running all-female rock band, still active after more than 40 years. Formed from a school band called Painted Lady, Girlschool enjoyed strong media exposure and commercial success in the UK in the early 1980s with three albums of "punk-tinged metal" and a few singles, but lost their momentum in the following years.
Girlschool playing live in London in 2009
Girlschool original line-up: Kim McAuliffe, Enid Williams, Kelly Johnson, Denise Dufort (1981)
Headlining the Friday night of the 1981 Reading Festival was the highlight of Girlschool's career
Girlschool upgraded their look in 1983 to appeal to the US market